She's All That

(Miramax) 1999 release starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Jodie Lyn O'Keefe, Kevin Pollack, Kiernan Culkin, Elden Henson, Usher Raymond, Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones and Anna Paquin

The road to self discovery begins with a bet. Sometimes losing that bet is the best thing that can happen. The resulting transformation can be cliche, like the caterpiller becoming a butterfly, resulting in a mediocre movie.

Rarely is it as mindblowingly awesome as watching Laney Boggs (Cook) go from a plain brainiac art geek to... oh, gee... watch the movie. The scene where she comes down the stairs will make your eyes water and you'll say things like, "oh, wow..." Or maybe your empty lungs will cause an oxygen shortage to your brain, leaving you speechless and dizzy. Her transformation is...

Watch the movie and understand why a lot of videotapes have been worn out in rewinding that particular scene. No wonder the studios are pushing DVD and cutting back on videotape releases. I mean, when you see her coming down the stairs wearing that

If you've seen the movie, then you understand why I'm using this as a gimmick to fuel video rentals and sales while not get a dime for the endorsement. Word of mouth sales are the best because the studios don't spend a cent on advertising. If you have not seen the film then you can't understand why I am making a big deal of all this. Go find out why. Do it now. You can thank me later.

Had my high school been this interesting, I might have enjoyed it more. Aw, heck, had there been someone like Laney Boggs in my art classes I might have actually dated in high school. Well... maybe not. Too late for all that now. Whatever. Moving on.

The music wasn't that great. The dance scenes were too long, but watching Brock Hudson (Lillard) make a jerk of himself was first rate overacting. The other reason why videotapes are wearing out is from fastforwarding through his dance routine at Laney's first high school party.

The heavyweight title of the World Jerk Federation goes to Dean (Paul Walker), who betrays his best friend Zack (Prinze) in order to score a few touchdowns with Boggs.

As for Cook's acting, she demonstrates a lot of maturity. Her scenes with Prinze and Pollack have a level of depth to them that hits you in the heart. The dialogue makes you think, the action makes you feel. When all is said and done, you can understand how it won the MTV movie award for "sexiest kiss." Laney and Zack earned it.

For what it's worth, Laney Boggs is a movie character that I hope to we see again. It would be great to catch up with her at her ten year class reunion and see how successful she is as an artist, as well as find out how her friendship with Zack develops. Just a thought.